is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Nagaoka District,

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 757,914 (1 December 2011) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in the mountainous district of central

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

. The and both flow through Ōtoyo. It is the only municipality in Shikoku where over 50% of the population is aged over 65.

History

On March 31, 1955 the villages of Higashitoyonaga, Nishitoyonaga, Ōsugi, and Tentsubo joined to form the village of Ōtoyo. The name Ōtoyo came from taking the in and the in . Following this, a section of Ōtoyo was absorbed into the town of Tosayamada (present day

Kami, Kōchi 270px, Kami City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Kami city center is a city located in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 25,562 in 13212 households and a population density of 48 persons per km².The total area of th ...

). On the April 1, 1972, the village became a town. The town has two buildings that are recorded on Japan's National Cultural Properties list, Buraku-ji Yakushi-dō and the former Tajikawa Bansho Shoin.

Population and demographics

As of 2010, the town has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 4,962 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 15.75 persons per km². The total area is 314.94 km².ゆとりすと　通巻１８７号　２０１０年１１月号　（大豊町広報雑誌）

Events

*Osugi Summer Festival *Otaguchi Summer Festival *Wild Game Festival *Fukujuso Flower Festival

Tourist sites

* * * ''Whitewater Rafting'' - Due to its prime location on the

Yoshino River The Yoshino River (吉野川 ''Yoshino-gawa'') is a river on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . It is the second longest river in Shikoku (slightly shorter than the Shimanto), and is the only river whose watershe ...

and its proximity to Oboke Gorge Otoyo is the location of a large number of rafting companies. File:Ryuo Falls 05.JPG, Ryūjin shrine and Ryūō falls File:Mt.Kajigamori.jpg, Mount Kajigamori

Local products

Goishicha Goishicha ( ja, 碁石茶 ' go-pebble tea') is a fermented tea originally from China but now grown only in Ōtoyo, Kōchi and Ishizuchi-Kurocha, Ehime prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has ...

(fermented tea) *

Yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. I ...

lemon juice * Wild Game

Transportation

Train *

Tosa-Iwahara Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ōtoyo, Nagaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "D28". Lines The station is served by JR Shikoku's Dosan Line and is located 72. ...

* Toyonaga Station *

Ōtaguchi Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ōtoyo, Nagaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "D30". Lines The station is served by JR Shikoku's Dosan Line and is located 80 ...

Tosa-Ananai Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ōtoyo, Nagaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "D31". Lines The station is served by JR Shikoku's Dosan Line and is located 83 ...

* Osugi Station (Express Train) * Tosa-Kitagawa Station *

Kakumodani Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ōtoyo, Kōchi, Ōtoyo, Nagaoka District, Kōchi, Nagaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "D34". Lines The station is served by the ...

Road : Expressway ::

Kochi Expressway Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Ke ...

, Ōtoyo Interchange : National Highways :: Route 32, Route 439 and Route 492

Notable people

Tomoyuki Yamashita was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquering ...

was born in Ōtoyo, Kōchi

References

External links

* Towns in Kōchi Prefecture {{Kochi-geo-stub